Kami berdiskusi tentang jadwal rapat di perpustakaan.

We discuss the meeting schedule in the library.

Breakdown of Kami berdiskusi tentang jadwal rapat di perpustakaan.

• di: in
• kami: we
• tentang: about
• jadwal rapat: the meeting schedule
• perpustakaan: the library
• berdiskusi: to discuss

Questions & Answers about Kami berdiskusi tentang jadwal rapat di perpustakaan.

What’s the difference between kami and kita, and why is kami used here?

• kami = we (excluding the listener).
• kita = we (including the listener). Use kami when telling someone outside the group. If you’re including the person you’re talking to, use kita: Kita berdiskusi...

Why use berdiskusi? How is it different from mendiskusikan or just diskusi?

• berdiskusi: intransitive “to have a discussion,” often followed by a preposition like tentang.
  • Example: Kami berdiskusi tentang jadwal rapat.
• mendiskusikan: transitive “to discuss (something)” and takes a direct object; no tentang.
  • Example: Kami mendiskusikan jadwal rapat.
• diskusi: a noun (“discussion”). In casual speech it can act like a verb, but in standard usage keep it as a noun:
  • Kami mengadakan diskusi tentang jadwal rapat.

Do I need tentang? Can I replace it?

• With berdiskusi, you normally use a preposition: tentang, mengenai (neutral), soal (casual), perihal (formal).
• Don’t drop it in standard Indonesian: avoid berdiskusi jadwal rapat.
• If you switch to a transitive verb, drop the preposition: mendiskusikan/membahas/membicarakan jadwal rapat.

Does di perpustakaan mean “at the library” or “in the library”?

Both. di covers “at/in.” If you want to stress “inside,” use di dalam perpustakaan.

Is the sentence ambiguous? Could di perpustakaan modify jadwal rapat?

Yes, it can mean:

• We discussed (somewhere) about “the meeting schedule at the library,” or
• We had the discussion at the library (about the meeting schedule). To disambiguate:
• Location emphasis: Kami berdiskusi di perpustakaan tentang jadwal rapat.
• Schedule-at-the-library: Kami berdiskusi tentang jadwal rapat yang diadakan di perpustakaan.

How does the noun order work in jadwal rapat?

Indonesian noun compounds are “head + modifier.” jadwal rapat = “schedule of (the) meeting.” More examples:

• tiket pesawat (airplane ticket)
• guru bahasa (language teacher) You generally can’t flip them.

What’s the nuance difference between rapat, pertemuan, and “meeting”?

• rapat: a formal work/organizational meeting (agenda, decisions).
• pertemuan: any meeting/encounter, broader and less formal.
• “meeting” (often pronounced “miting”) appears in offices, but rapat is the standard Indonesian term.

How do I show past, present, or future?

Indonesian doesn’t conjugate verbs for tense. Use time words or aspect markers:

• Past/completed: Kemarin kami berdiskusi... / Kami sudah/telah berdiskusi...
• Ongoing: Kami sedang berdiskusi...
• Future: Kami akan berdiskusi... / Nanti kami berdiskusi...

Is berdiskusi formal? What’s more casual?

Neutral-to-formal. Casual alternatives:

• Kami ngobrol soal jadwal rapat di perpustakaan.
• Kami bahas jadwal rapat di perpustakaan.
• Kami ngomongin jadwal rapat di perpustakaan. (very informal)

What’s the difference between di (preposition) and di- (passive prefix)?

• di (separate word) = preposition “at/in”: di perpustakaan.
• di- (attached) = passive voice prefix: didiskusikan, dibahas. They’re spelled differently (separate vs attached) and mean different things.

When would I use membahas or membicarakan instead?

Both are transitive and don’t take tentang:

• membahas (to discuss/analyze): Kami membahas jadwal rapat di perpustakaan.
• membicarakan (to talk about/discuss): Kami membicarakan jadwal rapat di perpustakaan.

How do I make this a question or a negative?

• Yes–no question: Apakah kami berdiskusi tentang jadwal rapat di perpustakaan? Or just use a question mark and rising intonation.
• Wh- questions:
  • Topic: Kami berdiskusi tentang apa di perpustakaan?
  • Place: Kami berdiskusi di mana tentang jadwal rapat?
• Negation:
  • Kami tidak berdiskusi... (did not/do not)
  • Kami belum berdiskusi... (not yet)

How do I say “the library” specifically?

No articles in Indonesian. Use context or add:

• Demonstrative: di perpustakaan itu (that/the library mentioned).
• Possessive-like: di perpustakaannya (the/its library, contextually specific).
• Proper name: di Perpustakaan Nasional.

Can I drop the subject kami?

Sometimes, if context is clear, but Berdiskusi tentang jadwal rapat di perpustakaan as a standalone can sound like a headline or instruction. For a normal statement, keep kami.

Can I move di perpustakaan earlier for emphasis?

Yes. Word order is flexible for adverbials:

• Di perpustakaan, kami berdiskusi tentang jadwal rapat.
• Kami berdiskusi di perpustakaan tentang jadwal rapat.

Should I ever use pada instead of di here?

Not for physical places like libraries. Use di for locations. pada is used with times, recipients, or abstract “on/at,” and in formal writing with events (e.g., pada rapat itu = “at that meeting”), but not pada perpustakaan.

What’s the difference between di, ke, and dari?

• di = at/in (location): di perpustakaan
• ke = to (destination): ke perpustakaan
• dari = from (origin): dari perpustakaan

How is perpustakaan formed?

Root pustaka (book/literature) + circumfix per-...-an (often creates a place/collective noun) → perpustakaan = “place of books,” i.e., a library.